Top 5 Movies to Watch on Teacher's Day

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It's been a while since I last wrote about movies. I thought I would take the opportunity of September 5th, Teacher's Day, to share my thoughts on a few films that have inspired me greatly. There was a time when I relied on IMDb ratings to curate my movie watchlist. However, I've recently discovered some incredible films that haven't received high ratings from popular movie review sites like IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes. As a result, I've decided to focus on watching and sharing films I find inspiring and that convey positive messages, regardless of their ratings.

Today, I have compiled a list of Top five inspiring films about teachers and students that are sure to leave a lasting impact.

Top 5 Inspiring Movies to watch on Teacher's Day

1. To Sir, with Love: The first time I watched this movie, I couldn't stop thinking about it. This 1967 film, starring Sidney Poitier, is adapted from the autobiographical best-seller of the same name. It tells the story of an immigrant teacher who takes on the challenge of educating a class of troubled students. The way he manages to win the hearts of this initially hostile group is the central focus of the film. While many movies about teachers tend to cover similar themes, this film was a pioneer in its portrayal of the teacher-student relationship and surely fits to be in the Top 5.



2. Dead Poet's Society:  John Keating, an English teacher with a very unorthodox approach to teaching, is constantly threatened by the strict disciplinarian Headmaster, Gale Nolan. An ex-member of the unsanctioned Dead Poet's Society, he inspires his students to reform the club and to live life extraordinarily. This 1989 film starred Robin Williams as John Keating and Ethan Hawk as Todd Anderson in the lead roles. A must-watch top film to watch on Teacher's Day



3. Mona Lisa Smile: This 2003 film, starring Julia Roberts in the lead role, is about a History teacher, Katherine Ann Watson, who introduces the concept of modern art to a class of quite conservative students. After some initial objections from a few students, Katherine popularised her course in the college and, as described by one of her students, stood out to be " an extraordinary woman who lived by example and compelled all to see the world through new eyes".



4. Dangerous Minds:  This 1995 film is about an ex-marine who finds a job as a teacher in a city school that consists of a rowdy gang of students from the working class background. Michelle Pfeiffer stars in this drama as LouAnne Johnson, the teacher who does not leave any stones unturned to win the hearts of her class and finally succeeds after many obstacles.


5. Freedom Writers: Erin Gruwell, a newly appointed English teacher, smoothly channelises racial slurs and crude jokes against her to teach about "The Holocaust" to a gang of hostile students. This 2007 film stars Hilary Swank in the lead role. A strongly determined woman whose only aim is to reform her students applies various methods to finally make them aware of the consequences of fights, gang wars and racism. This movie is an adaptation of the book, The Freedom Writer's Diary.


So, these are some of the top films one can watch on the occasion of Teacher's Day. Interestingly, some of these films have been remade in Hindi and have become quite popular. To Sir with Love was remade in Hindi as Imtihan in 1974. The movie Mohabbatein was loosely based on Dead Poet's Society. The film Hitchki was again inspired by Dangerous Minds and Freedom Writers.

Have you watched any of these films? If not, which one would you want to watch? 

#teachersday #top5films, #top5movies #teachermovies #teacherfilms #filmstowatch #watchlist

This post was created for the Blogaberry Creative (Monthly) Challenge with theme word "Top"

Comments

  1. RomilaSeptember 18, 2025 at 10:35 PM

    I haven’t watched any of the movies on your list yet, so reading this felt like getting introduced to a new world of stories I might’ve missed. I love that you picked films that go beyond ratings and focus on inspiration and real human connection. I want to watch Freedom Writers and To Sir, with Love, hopefully very soon.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Deliciously AliveSeptember 20, 2025 at 12:52 AM

    This is a very interesting list. Luckily I haven't watched any, so I am going to look out for them. Mayuri/Sirimiri

    ReplyDelete

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